Mary Kate Leming's Blog – December 2009 Archive (55)

By Ron Hayes
To Gyora Novak, there’s no place like dome.
In January 1968, the self-described “artist, designer, innovator, poet, writer, humanist” erected three geodesic domes at 1860 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, and lived in them for the next 10 years.
At the time, the county property appraiser valued Novak’s dome homes at $60,000.
Now they’re for sale again.
Asking price, $10.5 million.…Continue

In 2010 I resolve to lose weight, get my finances in order, paint the bedrooms, clean the garage and stay in touch with all my friends and family who aren’t on Facebook. Oh, and do my best to edit a newspaper that informs, entertains and provides our readers with the news overview needed to make informed decisions about the future of our coastal communities.
If you’ve driven past our office on nights and weekends, you know we are committed to this effort and… Continue

“The triumvirate,” is how an admiring colleague described them.
“They all work together so much that as far as the Women’s Circle is concerned, they’re kind of inseparable,” said fellow volunteer Mary Crawley.

That would be the Women’s Circle, whose Circle of Hope dinner gala fundraiser, Feb. 8 at Benvenuto in Boynton Beach, will profit from the toil of many volunteers, not the least its co-hosting trio of Eileen… Continue

In a case that could have implications for shorelines around the country, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in December about whether homeowners in Florida must be compensated when beach-widening projects make private beaches public.
Six homeowners living on the Gulf of Mexico in Fort Walton Beach have challenged a Florida Supreme Court decision that said a private beach became public after a beach re-nourishment project. The state Supreme Court said in a 5-2… Continue

After producing cutting-edge theater in Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar for nearly 20 years, Florida Stage is cutting out, heading to a new home at the Kravis Center. The move, announced in November, won’t be made until July, but tickets for the summer musical go on sale in January.
While it’s a blow to Plaza del Mar, which lost its anchor Epicurean gourmet market last spring, it was not a bolt from the blue.
For years, Producing Director… Continue

Former part-time Manalapan resident Tom Petters was found guilty Dec. 2 of masterminding a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme.
Jurors in St. Paul, Minn. found the Minnesota businessman guilty on 20 counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
According to the government, Petters attracted massive investments from hedge funds and other institutions, ostensibly to buy consumer electronic goods and re-sell them to national big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco. But… Continue

Following months of work by a committee, Manalapan officials and residents met in a December workshop to debate ways to landscape town swales yet protect electric, cable and water utilities.
The efforts seek a landscaping plan that provides guidance for residents who want to plant trees, but also allows the town to determine what trees are appropriate and won’t threaten infrastructure, either underground or overhead.
While commissioners can’t take action… Continue

For Donald Silpe’s 70th birthday, he got the ultimate gift for a lifelong scuba diver: an artificial reef built and named in his honor.
Silpe, who lives in Manalapan, said his family came up with the idea to make a donation to the county in exchange for a reef named in his honor. After months of paperwork, the family foundation’s $10,000 donation led to the creation of the Donnyboy Silpe Reef — just minutes from the… Continue

With the Imperial House facing another winter without a seawall, the South Palm Beach Town Council voted on Dec. 15 to ask Palm Beach County to intervene in a dispute between the condominium and the town of Lantana over beach access.
The 58-unit co-op adjoins the north end of Lantana’s oceanfront beach and needs the access to move construction equipment onto the beach to erect the seawall.
“We can’t support them financially but at least we can support them… Continue

The Lantana Town Council dismissed as “insulting” a counterproposal from the Imperial House to pay $5,000 for beach access to fix its failing seawall, and said it would investigate if, under an agreement for emergency work, it could demand Imperial House put the beach back together and vacate within seven days. Mayor David Stewart and other council members balked at the counterproposal during a Dec. 14 meeting — a day before South Palm Beach voted to request… Continue

Of all the tense exchanges over the years between city leaders and residents over whether to save the old Boynton Beach High School, it might be hard to find one more openly bitter than the one between Mayor Jerry Taylor and 50-year resident Victoria Costello recently.
“You could tear it down and build something as nice or better for less money than that,” Taylor said, to catcalls, as the commission considered a historic-preservation ballot… Continue

Palm Beach County public radio station WXEL President Jerry Carr is retiring from the station he has piloted for 13 years.
Carr ushered WXEL’s TV and radio operations into the digital age and led the station through repairs after Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

“It’s been a phenomenal ride,” Carr said. “No question about it.”
Carr will depart on March 31. His contract actually ran out at the end of the year, but… Continue

County and town officials urged residents to keep pets up-to-date on rabies vaccinations after a rabid raccoon attacked a miniature Doberman at 9 E. Ocean Ave. early in December. Two family members were expected to undergo precautionary treatment for rabies and the dog is required to be in double-cage quarantine for six months, according to Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department.
Rabies is deadly for animals and humans, according… Continue

In an effort to revitalize Boynton Beach’s downtown and save money, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency is moving the annual free concert series from the waterfront to downtown.
It’s a return to downtown for the concert series, which was created 14 years ago under a different name, Tunes in Town, to boost city spirit. In 1998, the series moved to Oceanfront Park on A1A in Ocean Ridge. The monthly waterfront performances were popular, drawing about 400… Continue

Briny Breezes’ appeal to pay lower residential water rates backfired after supplier Boynton Beach denied the request and determined that the seaside town actually should be billed even more.
Boynton Beach said it realized it has been undercharging — for 351 properties instead of a total 488 Briny homes — and Briny Breezes owed $68,000 more. That debt will be forgiven, but Boynton Beach will not repay a separate $26,000 it previously overcharged the smaller… Continue

Gulf Stream commissioners are looking into hiring a consultant to determine the feasibility of burying electric lines and determining how much of the study’s cost the town’s Civic Association would pay.
Burying the town’s power lines would cost roughly $3.5 million, according to Bob Ganger, Civic Association president, who said power outages and safety considerations are behind the move. Underground electric lines would help eliminate outages, particularly… Continue

In real estate it’s always been about location, location, location and our beautiful barrier island fits those requirements perfectly. This might explain the recent rash of real estate brokerage consolidations, mergers, moves and even new office openings in the Lantana/Manalapan area lately.
If you’re keeping a scorecard, break it out and follow the changes:Ocean and Intracoastal Properties, at 237 E. Ocean, Lantana, which Bob Montgomery started… Continue

Delray Beach commissioners authorized the Fire Department to apply for a grant from U.S. Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency that would fund four firefighter positions for Fire Station No. 2.
A successful grant would fund four positions for two years for about $300,000 a year. Delray Beach would have to commit to funding the third year. The Fire Department earlier this year reassigned paramedics on the rescue transport at Station No. 2 to the understaffed fire engine,… Continue

OCEAN RIDGE — Alphonse “Al” Lembo of Ocean Ridge died Nov. 23 at the age of 96. He was a 30-year resident of Ocean Ridge, and an active member of the Hypoluxo community.
“Al may have resided in Ocean Ridge, but his heart resided in Hypoluxo,” said Hypoluxo Mayor Kenneth Schultz.
Mr. Lembo was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and for many years owned and operated the… Continue

Kathy Fazio “came home” to coastal Delray Beach with her husband, John. Her daughter, Annie, is now 22 and in Washington, D.C. Her son, Jay, is a junior at Southern Methodist University. In her spare time she keeps her fingers in the investment business by working with Bill Timpson, a Delray Beach investment adviser.

Kathy Fazio’s family grew from 2 to 27 children in eight years.
After her daughter and son left… Continue